The Sleep Of The Saved
by RussM
Summary: Tensions mount within the gang as Fred finds the easiest way to build himself up in the public eye is by pulling others down.  A break-up story.
1. The Making of a Monster

The applause, the cheers and the laughter, the thing she remembered most was the laughter. Velma got up and turned off the television, sniffing, trying to gulp down the ball of tears that was forming in her throat. She turned off the lights and sat down on a stool next to the window and looked out to the nearby woods. She was tempted to run and hide there, if it had been earlier in the day then she would have but it was too dark, so all she did was stare. For a long time that was all she did. sit on the stool and stare out of the window trying, and failing, not to cry. Yet again he had broken his promises; despite all the assurances given she had been publicly belittled and humiliated by him again. Finally she gave in and let her emotions go, she knew she would feel better afterwards. At some point Velma became aware that there was someone else in the room with her, she felt a weight on her lap and looked down into Scooby's watery eyes. She was just about to speak, she tensed slightly at the touch of a hand on each of her shoulders and turned to see who it was, it was Shaggy. Velma relaxed and leant back into him resting her hands on his. He was almost as good as Scooby when it came to sensing she was upset. She looked up at him, he looked like he had been kicked in the stomach; he looked like she felt. She was surprised when he spoke.

"I can't take much more of this Velms. And… and I don't think you can either"

Her bottom lip began to quiver again as much from seeing his distress as from her own. Shaggy broke down first, Velma crushed him to her, they held tightly onto each other as their tears flowed.

"You are special Shaggy, you are, don't forget that"

"I'm not sure about that anymore"

"You'll always be special Shaggy"

At the time it was an obvious decision to make Fred the spokesman of the gang. It was Daphne who first suggested it; secretly she found the idea of her boyfriend being on TV very appealing. The rest agreed that Fred was the natural choice as neither Shaggy nor Velma were that comfortable in front of the camera and while Fred was the de-facto leader of the group that wasn't the reason he became their spokesman, it was that the camera loved him. His broad shoulders, strong face and blond hair just worked on TV. His easy, confidant manner won over reporters and the viewing public. But in making Fred the spokesman they had unwittingly loosed a monster in him, an inverted vampire as it were, whereas those creature feared and hid for the light, he couldn't get enough of it, the limelight that is. Put a camera or microphone in front of him and he transformed from the Fred they knew into a shameless self-publicist, ignoring, belittling and ridiculing the other members of Mystery Inc. Each time this happened, less of the original Fred returned. Of course this necrosis of his humanity didn't happen overnight, if it had they would have slapped him to his senses, and most likely Fred would have joined in. But slowly he changed, the in-jokes within the gang became public, at first it was Fred joking about himself and his obsession with traps but that was soon dropped, bigger laughs could be had at Shaggy's expense, then Velma's. Even Daphne from time to time was held up for ridicule.

Out on a case he was Fred the leader and protector, always ensuring that the girls were safe and that Shaggy and Scooby got well fed. The gang always felt better when on a case as Fred returned more-or-less to his old self, each time they hoped that when they got back the old Fred would remain. When at home he retained the vestiges of the Fred they had known, always doing his share of the chores and the like. It was outside of the house that things changed. Scooby was the first to notice, they would start going out at busier times, to more public places. Increasingly it was to places where cameras were present. Of course this meant that the 'runts of the litter' as Daphne had once caught him referring to Shaggy and Velma, often had to be kept at home lest they distract from him. Daphne always went along; she was more glamorous than Velma and more comfortable in front of the camera. It finally dawned on Daphne that she was the trophy, not him.

Velma was aware of the old folk-tale that if you put a frog in boiling water it's going to jump out, put a frog in cold water and turn the heat on–it'll stay in there and boil to death. By way of jumping out both Velma and Shaggy had taken to doing jobs outside of Mystery Inc. Velma became a contract scientist and engineer and Shaggy helped out at local Humane Society. This gave them an outlet and some breathing space. They also found people who would accept and value them for what they were. This helped keep them sane, but still they worried. Privately they worried about each other, collectively they worried about Fred and what had gone wrong but most of all they worried about Daphne. Fred knew Daphne's emotional levers, Shaggy and Velma felt sorry for her; they knew Daphne tried to challenge Fred about his behaviour but he was always able to manipulate her to deflect criticisms. It was our date – a romantic surprise – they didn't want to come and so on; at the time all so plausible reasons and delivered so sincerely.

There was one thing that did stand in Fred's favour; he got them work, a lot of work. Privately he knew how to sell the gang and their skills, of course he presented himself as the glue that held it all together, but when money was on the table a more calculating Fred emerged. As the money rolled in Fred felt his approach was justified and could brush aside any concerns that the others might express, especially when it came time to hand out the quarterly bonus cheques. None of the others could argue with the fact that they were very successful, both Shaggy and Velma paid for their time in college, up front and in cash and never really noticed the loss. Daphne had the ideal princess lifestyle, platinum credit card, flash car, designer clothes and a trophy boyfriend. And Fred well, it was hard to know what he wanted, aside from attention. And he made sure he got that.

The one thing that kept Mystery Inc on the rails for so long was Daphne's father. He had bankrolled them when they started out, it was an exercise in tax-deductible philanthropy as most of the cases the gang took in the early days were for people who couldn't afford the services of private investigators. He was also secretly pleased that his daughter was out in the world doing something else other than just spending his money in the local mall. As Mystery Inc became well known and started taking on paying cases it became in effect a wholly owned subsidiary of the Blake business empire. I was a seemingly sensible request from Daphne's father when he had asked Velma to reappraise all the efforts of the gang for the past 12 months. He had been getting some disconnected rumblings about unhappiness and discord within the gang and assumed that it was due to how they divided the bonuses. Fred was not happy with the findings as it resulted in his share being reduced. But Mr Blake knew that Velma had been scrupulously honest as she had reduced her share as well. The thing that pleased Daphne and Velma but annoyed Fred the most was that Shaggy and Scooby had their share increased. But as the months rolled by the tensions mounted, Mr Blake realised that the problems were far deeper than he had feared. As they solved case after high-profile case the media interest in them soared, at the same time the internal pressures increased. At the end it was obvious things were starting to spiral out of control, obvious to all that is but Fred, He had agreed to a fly-on-the-wall documentary about them as they visited New York for a series of Mystery Inc related events whilst they visited the city. At the last minute the date was changed, and that was when it all kicked-off.

The argument had raged for nearly an hour.

"No, I am _not_ going Fred and that's final. Just leave me alone!" shouted Velma

"Velma, this is official Mystery Inc business" said Fred

"I've got my own work to do Fred. Anyway it coincides with a clown convention in the same hotel we are staying at. Why didn't you tell me this? You know I have coultrophobia, you've joked about it often enough."

"Hey we had to rearrange the meetings so don't bite my head off. You're just an employee so you'll do as you're damn well told. We've got media appointments arranged, they're following us for a few days remember" said Fred

"No! I am not going just so my panic attacks can provide comedy relief for anyone watching" said Velma and with that she stormed out of the room.

"She needs to be taught a lesson, impudent little brat" muttered Fred following after Velma. Shaggy got up and stood in his path.

"Man you lay one finger on Velma and, and I don't know what I'll do but, just leave her alone" said Shaggy blocking in the doorway.

"Freddie calm down" said Daphne.

"Step aside Shag. Velma's coming whether she likes it or not" said Fred

"I'm not moving" Shaggy could hear Velma from within her room, it sounded like she was on the verge of a panic attack, and that was enough to steel his resolve. Scooby stood by his side and growled.

"Is there a problem?" they turned to see Mr Blake enter the room.

"Velma doesn't want to go to New York because of the clown convention" said Daphne quickly.

"I know, I said she didn't have to go, I wouldn't expect her to go" said Mr Blake looking confused, all eyes were then on Fred.

"Oh yes, I forget" he said and stormed out of the room. Inside Fred was seething, he'd planned a bit of image improvement for himself, and Velma was key to all that. She would get stuck in a lift with some clowns, have a panic attack and when the lift opened he would be there to help and comfort her. All discretely filmed by a hidden camera crew who would then post the film up to show how he kept his caring side hidden from public view. He'd get even with her; she was getting too big for her boots.


	2. The Sound of Jinkies

Fred was good at thinking on his feet and adapting to sudden changes of events so not long after having his image improvement plant-A thwarted he'd come up with plan-B. He now planned for a few video clips of Velma panicking during the 'How Now Brown Clown' case and some revealing and intimate clips of Daphne and Velma from their up-and-coming spa day together to be uploaded to the net, using Shaggy's computer. The take-down letter and speech of righteous indignation and betrayal were already drafted. A brief investigation, by himself of course, would exonerate Shaggy, his only crime being to not secure his computer leaving it wide open to hackers. The question of what these clips were doing on Shaggy's computer would be met by a statement that Fred was sure that the possession of those clips had an innocent explanation. Aside from cementing his image as a caring, protecting, and forgiving leader it would also boost his image as a problem solver. With those plans well under-way it was time to focus on the New York events.

It was true that Velma not coming to New York was inconvenient. Fred explained this away saying that when clowns were around she was a bigger scaredy-cat than Shaggy and Scooby put together though a discrete kick in the shin from Daphne made him concede that Velma was able to overcome her fears when it mattered. For a couple of sessions which were centred round Velma she dialled in via a conference-call, even thought she wasn't there she stole the show despite Fred's attempts to kept interrupting. It was at the reception after one of these that Fred saw his opportunity to being down Velma a peg or two so sidled up to a group of journalists who were discussing the session.

"Jinkies, that's an odd saying" said one of the journalists

"Bet that's what she says when she gets some" another joked

"Not that she gets any. Still she tries its ladies lock up your husbands, Velma's on the prowl" interrupted Fred

"You don't say" said one of the journalists taking out their smartphone.

"Hey, only joking" said Fred. Before Fred was able to move on to another group he was pulled into an empty ante=room by Shaggy.

"Why did you say that about Velma? Fred that's a lie and you know it is."

"She was interest in that Johnson guy last year"

"And she stopped the moment she found out he was married, he didn't tell her remember"

"So?"

"So you've all but said she goes chasing after married men. Just how low can you sink Fred? You try to force her here when it's full of clowns and now you try and ruin her name. What the hell are you on?"

"And who the hell are you to ask? Velma's becoming an arrogant upstart and you're getting no better."

"She's just standing up to you. And Mr Blake never expected her to come here."

"We've had to cancel so many things because she's not here, I've had to step in and do all her sessions"

"That's still no reason to lie about her. Come on Fred we're a team, we all work together, we all being something"

"Some of us bring something"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're just a stomach on legs; the only thing you don't run away from is food."

"Hey, Scoob and me, we do stuff. Velma did all that work a while back and proved it"

"I don't believe a word of it. You don't build traps, you rarely find clues, you don't solve the mysteries; you rely on me telling you what to do and where to go. Between Velma running away from clowns and you running to food I'm surprised I get any work done on a case. Face it Shag you're a spare wheel around the place, and increasingly a loose cannon" with that Fred walked out of the room. Standing next to the door was Daphne and a couple of journalists.

"Time for these loose cannons to shoot out of here" Shaggy muttered to Scooby who nodded in agreement and followed after him as they left the event. Fred pretended not to see Daphne glare angrily at him as he walked towards the podium; it was time for him to do what he did best.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I've a little surprise presentation for you all entitled "Daphne Blake, The Mistress of Mysteries."

It was only at the end did anyone notice that Daphne had left the room

.

Velma sat in her room, the reports for NASA and CERN were done and sent, with a request that payment be sent directly to her, not via Mystery Inc. On her desk were two finished letters and a pile of scrunched up paper; the waste basket on the floor next to her desk was overflowing with damp tissues. Her room was almost bare; in one corner were her belongings, all packed ready to be moved. She didn't hear Shaggy and Scooby come into the house so she almost jumped out of her skin when they appeared at the door to her room. Shaggy studied her room, it looked like someone had just moved in, or was about to move out.

"Shaggy, you scared me half to death, what are you doing here? Shaggy what happened?"

"We, err we didn't want to stay anymore"

"What did he do to you?"

"Not so much that, it's what he said about you"

"What?"

Shaggy told her, she went white. He went over and squatting down next to the chair and placed his arms about her.

He looked carefully at Velma he could tell she had been crying.

"Like what gives Velma, what's going on with you?" Scooby stood by the door as of he was standing guard.

"You were right Shaggy, about me not being able to take much more of this. Just after you all left I found out that Fred rescheduled the event to coincide with the clown festival and then tried to make me attend, that was the last straw. A while back a specialist consultancy company tried to head-hunt me, I said I'd think about it but didn't do anything much about it, I called them the day you all left, the offer of the job was still there, and… and…" Velma couldn't bring herself to finish.

"You've accepted" said Shaggy. She nodded looking at him with sad puppy-eyes; she was surprised when a look of relief came over his face.

"I've written my resignation letter to fax to Daphne's father, I've written a letter to Daphne to say why I was going and that I wanted to stay friends with her… but I can't… I can't finish my letter to you" her hand waved over the pile of scrunched up paper and tissues, tears coming again to her eyes "I realised that you were the real reason I stayed"

To her surprise Shaggy stood up and held out his hand "Come with me" she took his hand and he led her into his room. It looked just like hers but even more so. "It's been like this for a while; most of mine and Scooby's stuff is at my folks now. I've been wanting to leave, but always found reasons to stay" he said, he took both her hands, looking very nervous he stared directly into her eyes "One reason actually, you"

"Shaggy?" she whispered. Despite the sadness of the situation, her stomach was suddenly doing somersaults. Fred had been insistent that there was only room for one couple in MI; that coupled with her tendency to downplay her emotions had mean that she had kept her feelings for Shaggy under wraps. It sounded like he had done the same thing.

He nodded "I'm not going to stop you going, but, but" he grew quieter and quieter Velma grew closer and held him gently.

"I think I know what you want to say Shaggy, but I'd like to hear it from you. Don't be afraid of my reply" she said tenderly.

"I can't stay here if you go, can I come with you?" his whispered.

Velma sighed, and held him tighter, he responded in kind "On one condition, you are coming as not just my friend but as my..." now it was her turn to lose her voice, what were they? Soul-mates, partners; lovers even, she hadn't thought that far ahead, well she had, but she wasn't going to admit it just yet.

He gently lifted her face towards his and he bent down and softly kissed her on the lips

"I've wanted to be more than your friend for some time now. What do you want us to be?"

"I don't know, everything"

"Everything sound good to me"

"I'm resigning from MI, but what do you want to do?" she asked

"I'm resigning as well. Let's face it my life will be unbearable here without you plus…"

"Fred" she replied "No Shaggy, you're not staying he would make your life hell"

"I've been saving for ages now. I can pay my own way for a while and I'll look for a job as soon as we get there, wherever there is."

Scooby walked up to Velma and gently nuzzled her.

"You're part of that everything Scooby. Jinkies, I'd better make a call."

"A call?"

"Yes the company has a small flat for any long term visitors and I'm using that for a couple of months while I find my feet. I need to see if you two can stay there."

Shaggy watched Velma as she spoke to the company, the conversation was brief and to the point. When the call ended Shaggy could see she looked happy but also surprised and a bit embarrassed.

"Well?" he asked when the call had ended

"It's all fine as long as we give the place a good clean to remove any dog hairs when we leave"

"Just like that?"

"Emm, well they were already half expecting you to come. I'd been asked about partners when I had a web-conference with them; they had guessed from my reaction that we would probably be together sooner or later" grinned Velma.

As Shaggy walked towards her she looked him up and down, especially down. Shaggy looked at Velma with the same interest, there was no need for shyness nor fear. They willingly melted into each other's arms. After a while Velma pulled away, there was one thing that needed to be done before they went any further.

"We're going as partners _and_ lovers" she declared, Shaggy nodded "but we have to write your resignation letter quickly Shag."

"Why?"

"Because then we'll be free, free to be everything" she paused then continued in a quiet voice and looked expectantly at him "And after its done we can then find out if I do say jinkies."


	3. What Doesn't Kill You

Shaggy looked out of the kitchen window into their garden where Scooby Doo was playing with some of the neighbours kids and Velma was sitting on a sun-lounger reading a story to a couple more of them. He was doing the washing up, the kitchen still bore the scars of him having just taught the kids how to make soup and bake bread. He reflected on all the changes that had occurred to them in the past few months, not just in their personal circumstances but in themselves. Neither he nor Scooby ate anything like as much as they used to, the lack of constant random terror having dulled their appetite. He'd started working out; there were even signs of muscles, something which Velma found she liked much to her surprise. Scooby Doo had become a favourite and unofficial mascot for the whole apartment block. The strangest change had been with Velma, a few months ago he'd woken one Saturday morning to find her walking into the their bedroom wearing her standard Mystery Inc outfit and announcing that they were going clothes shopping as she'd just given most of her day clothes away to charity and that literally she didn't have anything else to wear.

"Why?" he asked sitting up in bed. He'd been warned that there'd be days like these. His father's parting words came back to him _remember son when in doubt just say 'yes dear' and keep your head down._

"Because, because I need to, because, emm" said Velma sitting down on the bed next to him. There was a perfectly rational explanation for her behaviour when she'd done it, it just eluded her now.

"Because you're not Mystery Inc's Velma Dinkley anymore, you're your own Velma Dinkley now" he said resting his chin on her shoulder and his arms round her waist.

"And Shaggy's Velma as well" she smiled, thankful that he understood.

Clothes' shopping with Velma was an unusual experience; she simply went to a sensible store, walked up to a sales assistant and asked them to find some casual and business clothes that suited her. They were done and out in just under an hour. Now he knew why Daphne and Velma had rarely gone clothes shopping together.

The noise from outside brought him back to reality. Things were still a bit hectic with them, but were working, albeit If they were going about things in a rather unusual fashion. _It's a habit we've got, we lived together before we'd even dated and now we've a surrogate family_ he mused as he dried his hands and put the dishes away, there was still another half hour before the bread was ready and the kids could eat the fruits of their labour. He looked again at the scene outside, Scooby was now playing tag with the older children while Velma was still reading to the younger ones, despite being small Velma always seemed to have room on her lap for one more. _Well, at least we know we're all good with kids_ he thought, Velma looked up and blew him a kiss; he smiled and went out to give Scooby Doo moral support.

Looking down on this were Sal and Molly, a retired couple who lived in the apartment above. They were sitting on their balcony enjoying the balmy summer evening and listening to the sounds coming from below. The couple were playing with their dog in the garden and it sounded like a few of children from the apartments above them were also there. A short while later they saw the dog go running around the garden chased by some of the children laughing and shouting. The couple had only been there about six months, but it felt like they had been there a lifetime. It had been a relief when the previous occupants had moved out, the sounds of arguing, fighting and regular visits from the police at all hours were now replaced by happier noises.

"Still don't approve of them living together like that. In our day you were married before you lived together" said Sal

"Oh don't be so grumpy, anyway that day will come Sal, sooner than you think. I've got a feeling about them."

"I'll say this for them though; they are the nicest people we've had here for a long time."

"I agree. It's good to hear children playing around here again. They've done a lot of good since they've been here; I hear that the Williams' children's grades are up already, all thanks to that young lady. And he gives a lot of his time at the local homeless shelter. They've always been friendly and helpful towards us, remember when we both had colds."

"True, still I don't approve of them living together" determined to continue his grump.  
>"Would you rather have them or the previous <em>married<em> couple?" said Molly cutting to the chase.

"OK you got me; I'd have them any time."

"Exactly they've been friendly since the day we met them..."

The flat below them had been empty for a while; the landlord had to repair the place before it could be let out again. Finally the day came when a removal truck pulled up outside. Molly looked with interest from the landing as a young couple with a dog moved it. From the looks of them the signs weren't promising, she looked like she'd barely left school and he looked like a layabout. After a while she noticed something which caused her to reappraise her initial position _Quite a lot of books_ she thought.

"Oh man, am I glad that's over" she heard the young man say when all was done. I knew you had loads of books but."

"Just you wait till my parents come with the rest of my books, and some bookcases. Besides all your vinyl records are quite heavy as well" the woman paused, from the sound Molly guessed she was stretching her back "Well we've just survived one of the most stressful things you can do, twice within a few months."

"Finally we can unpack; I've had it with living surrounded by boxes."

"You said it, let's get started before we lose the momentum. I'll tackle the bedroom."

"Oh OK, Scooby you can do the living room and I'll do the kitchen" said the man.

Molly chuckled, it sounded like the dog had just said 'okay'. Molly stayed and listened, There was some brief shouting, but that sounded like 'ow ow ow!' and followed a thump, something had been dropped on a foot she guessed. Finally music began to sound and she found herself humming along to a familiar tune, then she realised, it was coming from the new couple's apartment. Again she had her pre-conceptions challenged, it wasn't loud brash rock or that people speaking and shouting music; it was Crosby, Stills and Nash. The music she'd listened to when she was in her early twenties.

"Wondered where you were" said Sal walking up behind Molly "What's going on?"  
>"New couple moved in downstairs, got a dog with them"<br>"And?"

"Jury's still out at the moment but they're sure different from the other lot, seemed to bring in mostly books and records. And they've been playing some Crosby, Stills and Nash."

"That takes me back a bit."

Suddenly the music got louder and they were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice from below.

"Hi, I'm Velma and this Shaggy, we're your downstairs neighbours"

"Like please to meet you man"

"And this is Scooby Doo"

"Rello" said Scooby

Sal and Molly paused for a second trying to work out if the dog had just said hello.

"Would you like to come in for a drink? Like so far we've found the kettle cups and spoons."

Sal and Molly looked at each other for a second "Yes, I think we would" said Molly

Daphne was so nervous that she hadn't found the courage to call ahead but she knew they didn't go anywhere on a Friday evening. As she got out of the taxi she could hear the sound of children playing, then a dog barking. She knew that bark anywhere, Scooby Doo was having fun. She almost went back there and then, content in the knowledge that if Scooby was happy then so were they, but the taxi had gone. Daphne hurried to door of their apartment and rang the bell before her courage completely failed. She could hear noise through the door and had to ring a few times but soon she heard someone come to the door. She heard a sharp intake of breath, the next second the door was almost torn from its hinges as Velma opened the door. Daphne stared at her, she was wearing a floppy straw hat, her hair was a longer and styled differently, her glasses were now contemporary thin metal framed; she was wearing a olive-green loose v-neck T-shirt and matching ¾ length shorts and sandals. To Daphne she looked so different, so more mature, now appearing as she was, a woman in the full bloom of her adult life. Velma did likewise, gone was Daphne's signature purple dress and high-heels, instead she was wearing purple trainers, black jeans, a deep-purple blouse, a black jacket and carried a small purple suitcase.

Before Daphne could say anything she was grabbed and nearly crushed by Velma's embrace, Scooby was there a few seconds later almost pushing Velma out of the way.

"Like, who's at the door guys? Daph!" said Shaggy as he appeared in the hallway. To Daphne's eternal relief his face broke into a huge smile and he rushed over to greet her.

"I'm sorry I didn't call, I just couldn't get myself together enough" said Daphne quietly.

Velma quickly led Daphne towards the bedroom; she could see Daphne was working hard to keep her emotions in check. Shaggy closed the front door then headed to the kitchen.

"Like I'll get you both a coffee, still black no sugar?" Daphne nodded "Things are a bit hectic at the moment Daph, so you two talk in the bedroom. I'll bring some food in for you both in a bit after I've fed the kids" said Shaggy. Daphne stooped dead in her tracks and did some rapid mental calculations.

"Kids! But, but you can't have, have you?"

"No Daph, these are some of the neighbour's kids" said Velma. Shaggy and Velma glanced at each other, Daphne tried to read what passed between them.

Velma sat Daphne down on the bed then closed the door. Daphne looked up, to Velma she appeared so upset and hurt; it was the hurt that she found the hardest to see in her friend's face. Velma sat next to her and took her hand.

"Daph?"

"I've left Fred" Daphne said quietly

"Oh thank goodness, we've been so worried about you. When?" whispered Velma closing her eyes with relief.

"Last month, but we really parted the day we got back from New York. I moved into a separate room that night when I saw that note from you."

"I'm sorry Daph, I just couldn't take it any longer; neither of us could."

"I understand Velma, you had to go. When I read that little p.s. saying that you and Shaggy were going together as a couple that was such a bittersweet moment."

"Jinkies Daph I can't describe how that day felt. It was a total rollercoaster for me. One minute I'm bawling my eyes out trying to write a letter to Shaggy the next we're well, you know, together" Velma blushed.

"Awwww Velma."

"I know Daph, it's a special memory."

"I'll bet. So how are you two doing now? It sounded tense at times."

"The first week or so was just a blur. The two months in the company place though, that nearly broke us. How we didn't end up killing each other or just walking out I don't know, we both slept on the couch from time to time."

"Jeepers Velma, I knew it had been tense but didn't know it was that bad."

"It was both our faults, we let things go too far too fast. But I don't think we'd be where we are now if it wasn't for that time. We both grew up a lot."

"So?"

"Things changed when we moved here, we could unpack, literally and emotionally and as for sleeping on the couch, it's only when we fall asleep watching TV."

"That's so old-married-couple Velma" said Daphne

"I guess so. What about you Daph? We haven't really followed what MI have been doing, we know you've got some new people."

"We did a couple of cases, just me and Fred" Daphne paused "For a while it looked like he was starting to see sense. That we could rebuild what we've lost but..." Daphne paused.

"I know Daph, we've all felt like that on a case. You gave it your best shot. We all loved the old Freddie, we still do; but the new one…" Velma shook her head.

"The final straw was when I found that he'd been sleeping with one of the new team members. He was insufferable and inattentive yet still expected me to play the role as his glamorous and loyal girlfriend, even while he was..." Velma wrapped her arms around Daphne and pulled her close as Daphne's emotions let go.

"What are you doing now?" asked Velma softly when Daphne regained her composure.

"I've moved in with my parents for now. My father has forbidden Fred from coming anywhere the house or near me which is a huge relief, he's got the lawyers all lined up just in case. I'm not sure what I'll do next, but I knew as soon as I had my head together I needed to see you all. I need time away from Coolsville so I'm thinking of visiting my relatives in Scotland and Paris."

"That'll do you the world of good, you look worn out Daph."

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks" said Daphne

There was a gentle knock on the door; hearing no objections Shaggy entered carrying a tray with a bowl of soup for the each and some odd-shaped rolls. He quickly retired so he could keep an eye on the kids. Teaching them how to wash-up afterwards was his next task.

"I've missed this, jeepers how I've missed this" said Daphne holding the food in her hands.

"I know Daph. I wouldn't change how me and Shag are now, but I've really missed you not being here."

The pair continued to talk and catch up with what had happened in their lives, there were tears and laughter from both of them. 'The Princess and The Geek' they were known as at school, the unlikeliest double-act ever to grace a school corridor. Despite their differences, probably because of their differences, they'd stuck together through thick and thin and over the years had formed an unbreakable bond, except of course when it came to clothes shopping.

Shaggy knocked and stuck his head round the door "Homework time Vel."

"Homework?" said Daphne

"Yeah, I help the kids with their homework on Fridays and Shaggy teaches them how to cook something."

"Like Douglas has some business studies stuff, that's your area Daph d'ya want to help?"

"Sure, why not" Daphne brightened.

Finally all the work was done, the children were returned home and Shaggy had taken some of the soup and rolls up to Sal and Molly. Daphne sat on the couch and stroked Scooby head which was resting on her lap.

"How are you doing now Shag?"

"Better like now we're in our own place. Too many new things, we nearly called it quits, but we made it through without killing each other. I wouldn't change things now thought."Shaggy smiled at Velma who looked happily back at him.

"So what do you do Shag?"

"Like I have three jobs, I'm a part-time investigator for the local Humane Society, a volunteer cook at local homeless refuge and a house husband. The last one is the hardest" Velma put her hands on her hips and gave Shaggy an amused stare.

"See what I mean Daph!"

Daphne laughed and wiped a tear from her eye. She realised she hadn't really laughed for weeks either.

They talked for ages finally Daphne lay down on the couch and stretched out; she folded her jacket up and used it as a pillow. _It's like we were never apart_ mused Daphne, she let the familiar sounds of her friends talking lull her to sleep.

"So Daph there's a live music club a few blocks from here or Spanish restaurant we've been to a couple of times. Daph?"

Shaggy and Velma looked at Daphne; she was sleeping deeply so they quietly took their leave returning briefly to cover her with a couple of blankets. Velma glanced back as she headed to bed; Daphne's face was now one of peace. That night on a old couch, with Scooby curled on the floor next to her, her jacket as a pillow and a blanket thrown over her Daphne Blake slept the sleep of the saved.

(A/N Fred is a more extreme version of the character from the first live-action Scooby Doo film)


End file.
